Malamala Island Fiji: half day tour- what to expect

Mala Mala is a small island off the coast of Fiji. Tourists can either stay here for a night in few rooms available or like most, you can do a half day trip to the island- a catamaran boat will drop you at the island by afternoon and pick you up in the evening, leaving you 3-4 hours time to spend in the island.

Activities available at Mala Mala island:

• Swimming in ocean & indoor pool
• Kayaking
• Spa
• Lunch & drinks 

Mala Mala island has a few beach side sittings free for visitors while there are many dedicated spots that are chargeable. Visitors are given a card after taking their return ticket into custody- all your expenses will be tagged to this and need to be paid before check out. A tender coconut is sold for 10 FJD and other food items are equally expensive, as they have captive customers who have to either pay or stay hungry.

Cost of Mala Mala island half day trip:

South Sea cruises charges about 6300 INR per person for a boat ride to Mala Mala island. You can factor another 2000-2500 INR per person for some drinks and meals which are chargeable.

Your return ticket will be taken and a smart card will be issued to you. All your purchases will be tagged to this card and need to be paid at check out before boarding return catamaran

3 burgers, some french fries and 2 tender coconut cost us about 114 FJD or little less than 5000 INR

Mala Mala vs South sea island: which is better?

South Sea island is bit further, island is bigger, there're more activities, lunch and drinks included in package and there was cultural show during lunch.  Ticket is also proportionately expensive. Mala Mala on the other hand is smaller island, closer to mainland, less expensive also less things to do, all food items to be paid extra- ideal for a half day trip. 

That is about 330 FJD for 2 pax+ there is a 3% extra if you're paying through credit cards. This is only for 2 way boat ride from Port Denaru to Mala Mala island. Once there, you should factor about 50-100 FJD spend on food & drink. So easily 8000-9000 INR per person. Of course you can carry your own food or just manage without buying food till evening, if you wish to save some money.

My experince at Mala Mala: We joined Mala Mala island half day trip last minute as our plan changed. When we booked it was too late for pickup, so we had to reach Port Denaru on our own, costed about 14 FJD. Mala Mala has much less activities compared to South Sea island. So spent most of the time relaxing on the chair, with little bit of time spent on swimming. If short of time to explore Fiji and if you've already explored one or two islands you can skip Mala Mala island in my opinion.